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September 2009 GreenSpace Connect Digest
The GreenSpace Connect Digest is a publication of the GreenSpace Alliance that highlights success stories about preserving and connecting open space throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. To contribute or suggest future stories, please contact us.
List of Stories
MontCo Green Fields Green Towns Program Key to Creation of Public Nature Preserve
Harvey Freed recently built and installed bluebird boxes on fence posts in the Zeigler Nature Preserve, formerly a commercial cider orchard owned by his brothers-in-law. The 151-acre preserve, located in Montgomery County's Marlborough Township, includes a section of the high-quality Unami Creek and is a buffer for the creek's pristine watershed. That watershed is part of the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Region, the 3.5 million acre "backyard" of Philadelphia and New York which contains critical natural resources and dozens of threatened plant and animal species but is vulnerable to sprawling development.
When the Zeiglers looked to sell the orchard, developers proposed building 750 townhouses on the property, which contains forests, wetlands, and meadows, as well as the wildlife native to those habitats. Township supervisors were concerned, however, that the area's water resources would not support intense development. They negotiated the purchase of the property and, with help from Montgomery County Lands Trust (MCLT), secured conservation grants from state, county, and local governments, as well as from non-profit partners.
In 2008, after a 20-year effort, the orchard was protected as open space, preserving scenic vistas while connecting open space that had previously been physically separated by a major road.
 Significant funding came from Green Fields/Green Towns, the open space program funded through a bond by Montgomery County. Montgomery County Lands Trust was the driving force behind passage of the bond, approved overwhelmingly by voters in 2003. Green Fields/Green Towns is a ten-year $150-million program that combines municipal and private grants with county open-space expenditures. All Montgomery County municipalities are eligible to propose open space projects. The bond provides 80% of funding for open space projects if the municipality can match it with the remaining 20%. Green Fields/Green Towns funds are used for land acquisition, heritage resource conservation, green infrastructure, farmland preservation, floodplain restoration, community trails that connect to the county's trail network, and implementation of the Schuylkill River Greenway.
Currently, as part of a design planned with help from MCLT, Zeigler Nature Preserve is open space and functions as a groundwater recharge area. Marlborough Township will develop a stewardship plan for the property. The township is considering establishing areas of warm-season grasses to attract more birds and small animals, working with the Boy Scouts to re-establish trails along Zeigler Road, and adding agriculture, additional walking trails, and bird blinds (camouflaged shelters for close-up bird-watching).
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Diverse Conservation Partnership Preserves Bucks County Property in Roaring Rocks-Swamp Creek Watershed
Stuart Louden grew up on the Bucks County property that his parents bought in 1960. As a child, he ran through the woods and meadows of what Tinicum Conservancy calls a "stunning property of forested valleys, diabase boulder fields, Brunswick shale cliffs and plateaus, and a creek fed by natural springs.
"Nothing has really changed here since my family bought the land," Louden says. His parents set up a trust to preserve the land before their death, and Stuart, as the trustee, wanted to keep the parcel intact and undeveloped.
The 210-acre property in northern Tinicum Township is part of the Roaring Rocks-Swamp Creek Watershed: 2,000 acres of forests, meadows, pristine water, and diverse wildlife, including 111 bird species and two species of rare plants. As the conservancy explains, "Roaring Rocks Creek emerges from glacial boulders in the game lands, then flows and tumbles down a rocky stream bed until it meets Swamp Creek at the southeast corner of the [Louden] property. Swamp Creek, after absorbing its tributary, continues on to meet the Delaware River, less than a mile away."
The property is adjacent to the 620-acre State Game Lands No. 56 and is contiguous with 480 acres already protected by conservation easements held by the Tinicum Conservancy on privately owned land. In total, the conservancy protects 3,600 acres in Tinicum Township. Their holdings, combined with 2,900 acres of land protected through other means (state and county parks, state gamelands, agricultural easements, and easements held by other conservancies), mean that an entire third of Tinicum Township is conserved. On this project, the land trust partnered with Tinicum Township, Bucks County Open Space Program, Pennsylvania State Game Commission, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the property.
When Louden started the process of conserving his parents' property, he found that he would need an environmental inventory in order to place an easement on the property. Led by Marion Kyde of Tinicum Conservancy, a team of biologists, environmental scientists, environmental planners, and others studied the area in 2006-2007. They found several species of hawks, including American kestrel, coopers hawks, and red-tailed hawks; large mammals such as black bears and bobcats; and diverse species of trees, including red oaks, sycamores, and red cedar.
Kyde says the watershed "is one of our best areas — many species of highest importance to the state and a couple of endangered ones to boot. It will soon be listed as one of the Critical Treasures of the Pennsylvania Highlands. We must be grateful to the landowners who have for many years nurtured and protected this special place."
Critical Treasures are areas of the highlands that have been identified by the Appalachian Mountain Club and its conservation partners in the Highlands Coalition as valuable wildlife habitats, water resources, and recreational areas. Reflecting Tinicum Conservancy's inventory, the Roaring Rocks watershed area has now been noted as "teeming with biodiversity and ... home to ten avian species of concern."
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Center City Bike Lanes will increase Bicycle Safety and Connect East Coast Greenway
Something new is afoot in Philadelphia. Or, should we say, "abike in Philadelphia"? Beginning around Labor Day, the City of Philadelphia will pilot a new type of transportation facility. Dedicated bike lanes will soon provide a safe route for biking through Center City, along both Spruce and Pine Streets, from river to river. The City's Streets Department will pick-up on a model recently implemented in New York City, and will use simple painted lane markings to designate one exclusive lane for bikes on each of these two streets. The remaining lane on each street will stay in use for vehicular traffic, with a buffer in between. This forward-thinking effort seeks to accommodate the growth in Center City cycling, which has doubled over the last three years. Currently, cyclists could only access the edge of Center City via the Schuylkill River Trail and via a few on-street bike lanes - but not go across downtown, nor safely and conveniently reach their places of employment, at the heart of Center City.
This east west link between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers will also serve as a major connector for the nationwide East Coast Greenway (ECG) that when completed will span 3,000 miles from Maine to the Florida Keys. From Center City, the ECG route heads south along the Schuylkill River to Delaware, and north along the Delaware River to New Jersey. The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), which worked closely with the city to implement the Center City bike route, is also a major coordinator and stakeholder for Pennsylvania's segment of the ECG.
The ECG seeks to create a trail network that links all of the major cities along the eastern seaboard. Major goals of the project include increasing non-motorized transportation opportunities, providing for recreational access to individuals of all ages and abilities, and generating tourism-related economic activity along the trail corridor. The success of the ECG depends on federal financial support, and the involvement of hundreds of state and local government agencies, trail advocates, and other non-profit organizations. This initiative is led by the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA), a not-for-profit group that provides the national leadership and coordination to ensure continuity and a consistent product across state lines. But, for actual implementation, the ECGA often relies not only on their state volunteers, but on close partnerships with either state agencies or statewide non-profit organizations. In PA, the major partner is PEC.
Spencer Finch, Director of Sustainable Development at PEC, views the ECG, along with the Schuylkill River Trail, which runs from Center City to the western suburbs, as the main priorities for Southeastern Pennsylvania's trail system. "Once these trails are in place, everything else begins to make sense. These two trails are the backbone to the regional greenway and trail system. Once these two routes are completed, they will facilitate the growth and expansion of the rest of the network."
Multiple studies conducted across the country have shown that trails and greenways can stimulate tourism and recreation-related spending. Greenway systems have become the central focus of tourist activities in some communities and the impetus for kick-starting a stagnating economy. Tourism is a major part of the economy in the Philadelphia region and accounts for over 88,000 jobs. Continued investments in this sector are important, and the ECG is a project that could significantly contribute to the long term health of the tourism industry. Other studies, including one conducted for PEC along the Delaware riverfront, suggest that the benefits and the impact on real-estate can be even higher.
 Finch notes that the economic potential of the trail is important and real, but that other major goals are just as important, even if harder to quantify: "In the end it's really about the livability and sustainability of our communities. A project like the East Coast Greenway that runs through Philadelphia and the surrounding region gives everyone an opportunity to make their neighborhoods more livable, while connecting and making more sustainable all of our communities."
There are over 61 miles of planned ECG in Pennsylvania. To date, around 20% of permanent off-road trail right-of-ways have been established. Current plans are to have 40% of the permanent trail completed within four years. "We expect that it will be then that we will start seeing real, significant, and positive impacts from the ECG in the region. It will be there for all to see," Finch says.
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Studies Find Open Space Creates Economic Dividends
The intrinsic value of green space seems self-evident to nature lovers and conservationists, but to be heard clearly during this economic downturn, the issue of land conservation must be explicitly connected to economic development and vitality. The discourse around conservation must emphasize how green space serves the needs of people who work and live in developed areas.
Several recent studies have done just that, by quantifying the economic value of preserved land. These studies vary in their conceptual framework and geographic focus, but they all support points that have been long understood by conservation advocates but previously less documented:
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Parks and open space increase the value of nearby properties, along with property tax revenue.
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Parks and open space attract businesses and trained employees in search of a high quality of life.
- Parks and open space attract tourists and boost recreational spending.
- Parks and open space reduce health care costs by supporting exercise and recreation.
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Parks and open space provide environmental services at a lower cost than “hard infrastructure”: safeguarding drinking water, cleaning the air and preventing flooding.
The GreenSpace Alliance is requesting proposals for a parallel study to evaluate the economic value of protected open space in Southeastern Pennsylvania. The study will serve as an advocacy tool to help elected officials, planning professionals, conservationists, and the public understand and communicate the economic dividends that are provided by preserved land and void the misconception that green space land is non-productive.
“Too often we hear that communities can’t afford to create parks, preserve farms, conserve open space, and protect watershed landscapes,” says Will Rogers, president of the Trust for Public Land (TPL), in the preface to “The Economic Benefits of Land Conservation”. “But ... we know conservation is not an expense, but an investment that pays many dividends, including economic ones.”
Another report by the Trust for Public Land, “How Much Value Does the City of Philadelphia Receive from its Park and Recreation System?” calculates the economic dividends that Philadelphia parks generate for the city in seven categories: clean air, clean water, tourism, direct use, health, property value, and community cohesion. The report found that in 2007, city’s parks generated $18 million in added property tax revenue and $689 million in increased equity for homeowners near parks; generated $40 million in tourist revenue; saved Philadelphians $70 million in medical expenses by using parks; and provided at least $7 million in stormwater and air pollution control—among other revenue and savings.
The fact that green space increases the value of nearby properties has been “overwhelmingly verified” by multiple peer-reviewed studies over the past decades, according to TPL. Their study estimates a 20% increase; a report by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation estimates a 16% increase in the average home price when the property is located near permanently preserved open space. This increase in property value contributes to the wealth of the city (through property tax) as well as the wealth of property-owners. Tax on tourism receipts also benefits the city and state.
The collective wealth of Philadelphians is also bolstered by parks, the TPL report found, because as free avenues for recreation and exercise, they allow the public to save money instead of spending it on the same services.
The environmental services provided by green space, such as retaining water (thus cutting the cost of treating stormwater) and absorbing air pollutants, are a great value when the cost of maintaining the land is compared to the cost of the same services if they were provided by “hard infrastructure.” A July 2006 report, “The Value of New Jersey’s Ecosystem Services and Natural Capital,” found that New Jersey’s wetlands, marine ecosystems, forests, urban green spaces, and other ecosystems provide about services valued at, at a minimum, $11.6-19.4 billion annually.
Reports that assess the benefits provided by open space in economic terms lend significant weight to the green space issue in the face of development pressure and tightening budgets. By calling attention to the value that green space provides—value that would be lost if the space were developed—they help planners, park and recreation administrators, citizen activists, and non-profit groups understand and communicate the positive economic impacts of their projects.
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